Traditionally, ceiling fan installation is laborious, time consuming and often a cumbersome practice. The conventional ceiling fan includes a structure mount or ceiling plate, which secures to an electric outlet box by passing the lead wires of the outlet box through a central opening in the structure mount. Mounting screws pass through two elongated openings in the structure mount to threadably engage with two threaded holes diagonally separated from each other on the periphery of the outlet box. Alternatively, wood screws pass through the structure mount and the outlet box and into the building structure supporting the outlet box. In either event, the screws tighten until the structure mount securely couples to the structure or outlet box.
A typical ceiling fan assembly comprises a motor, a motor housing, a plurality of fan blades, a canopy, and an optional light assembly, which secures to the ceiling plate or structure mount by a downrod or a hanger rod. The downrod passes through a central opening in the canopy. One end of the downrod couples to a downrod coupler for mounting to the structure mount while the opposite end of the downrod mounts to the ceiling fan assembly, utilizing a motor coupler. A ball attaches to the downrod coupler and is received in a seat firmed in the structure mount, mounting the ceiling fan assembly to the structure mount, and thus the ceiling fan to the ceiling.
Traditionally, ceiling fans are sold with a single mounting style based on ceiling height, being either a low-profile mount, a normal profile mount, or a high or angled profile mount. Each mounting style attaches the ceiling fan either closer to or further from the ceiling based upon the height of the ceiling. For example, a low ceiling, being less than 8 feet tall will utilize a low-profile mount, mounting the fan close to the ceiling. Conversely, a high ceiling, being greater than ten feet tall will utilize a high profile mount, mounting the fan further from the ceiling.
Structure electrical wires extending through the ceiling to the structure mount connect to the fan electrical wires, which normally extend from the fan motor to a position adjacent the structure mount. Connecting the electrical wires is a time consuming and cumbersome practice, involving: (1) threading electrical wires through the various parts of the ceiling fan assembly, often including a downrod; (2) cutting and stripping the fan wires per manufacturer's instruction; (3) joining the structure electrical wires to the fan electrical wires by using wire connectors, such as wire nuts, per manufacturer's instructions, which may include both single and dual wall switch wiring instructions; (4) securing the wire connectors with electrical tape; and (5) tucking wires into the electrical box ensuring the live wires and ground wires are on opposite sides of the electrical box.
Cutting, stripping, and joining the wires during fan installation is often the most cumbersome task of the process. Typically, a ceiling fan manufacturer provides the fan electrical wires with a length sufficient to allow them to couple with the structure electrical wires according to the length of the downrod. The fan electrical wire length, which is commonly fifty-four to seventy-eight inches, is typically enough to mount the ceiling fan to a relatively tall ceiling. However, if the ceiling fan mounts to a relatively short ceiling, the installer must cut the fan electrical wires to an appropriate length. Furthermore, if fan electrical wires are included for a short ceiling fan, installation on a taller ceiling requires the connection of additional wiring to reach the structure electrical wires in the area of the structure mount.